Most commonly known outdoor cooking equipment employs heat elements which are statically fixed below a grill or a spit where food to be cooked is placed. Most known outdoor cooking systems are generally used to grill, barbecue or spit rotisserie the usual common categories of food, occasionally with unappealing results. Usually, food to be cooked in prior art equipment is placed on a grill, a spit rotisserie mechanism, or in a container utensil and cooked over the heat source such as solid fuels, natural or bottled gas, or cost consuming electric elements. In any case, the operator of such prior art cooking equipment is exposed to spontaneous flame eruption hazards due to fats and food juices dripping into the heat source. Accordingly, operators are continually confronted with the following operational problems:
a. The control and collection of the rendered food fats and juice drippings; PA1 b. The emission of offensive smoke and odors into the surrounding atmosphere resulting from the burning of encrusted fats or other food residue; PA1 c. Poorly circulated or regulated cooking temperatures; PA1 d. Tedious disassembly and reassembly which make for difficult preventative maintenance of equipment by the average layman; PA1 e. The tedious and laborious aftermath of cleaning the lower compartment wherein fixed heating elements and associated components are installed; PA1 f. Space limitations for roasting or rotisserie cooking of large size food portions such as standing ribs or turkey;
The following U.S. Patent references disclose one or more of the foregoing discrepancies:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,824 to Amici discloses an Accessory Grill Converter which places the heat source above the food being cooked to eliminate the hazardous spontaneous flame eruptions. This invention also discloses the use of rocks placed on the foraminous floor for transferring heat within the enclosure. Amici cites the placement of a heat shield over the heat elements, but merely for their protection. No mention is cited that the heat shield has reflective or deflective power. Moreover, the necessary arrangement of the rocks deprives the enclosure of valuable space for rotisserie cooking and/or the ability to cook large food portions. Amici also cites an embodied resolution of the hazardous flame flare up problem caused by the dripping of fats and food juices, but does not mention the disposition of such accumulations at the base of the enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,554 to Yanagida discloses the placement of a solid fuel heat source below the food being cooked, whereby the dripping fats and food juices will cause frequent hazardous flame eruptions and excess smoke emissions into the atmosphere. The disclosure also provides limited space for rotisserie cooking of large portions of food.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,540 to Riccio discloses an elaborate, intricately designed, rotisserie mechanism apparently intended for commercial use. The '540 system again places the heat source below the food being cooked, thus causing the usual flame eruptions due to the dripping fats and food juices coming in contact with the heat source. This system will require laborious cleaning efforts and will present other preventative maintenance problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,027 to Tsotsos et al. discloses an elaborately designed grill assembly which is expensive to produce and costly for the average user. Said assembly again places the primary heat source below the food being cooked thereby producing the usual flame eruption hazard. Also, the related tedious cleanup problems might, in time, be discouraging to the user. This would lead to contamination of the lower compartment, or non-use of the unit altogether.